ReprimandED
by Zelda
Summary: A sequel to the episode "My Fair Ed". Why does Edd have to take the blame for his friends' actions?


Disclaimer—Don't own 'em, wish they'd just let me have Double D at least!

Author's note--- This story is meant to serve as a sequel to the episode "My Fair Ed". Why is it that Edd has to take responsibility for his friends? Well, read and find out!

Rating--- PG.

ReprimandEd

Written by Zelda

                Eddy couldn't help but smirk as he rang the doorbell. Sure, the band-aid marks on the back of his head still smarted, but a little pain was worth all of it. He really had a hard time keeping himself from exploding with laughter, seeing Edd so easily fooled by his trick. And who knew Ed would be able to keep the ruse up so long himself? It was a beautiful thing.

                "Ho ho, wakey-wakey Double D!" Ed yelled out to an upstairs window, seeing as how Edd had yet to answer his door. There was another silent moment, and Ed frowned. "Do you think he is mad at us Eddy?" Ed asked quietly.

                "Nahh, it was a joke, burrhead." Eddy waved him off. "Double D thinks he's so smart sometimes, just shows ya that he can't take what he dishes out! He's just bitter that we tricked him."

                Ed frowned again, confused. "But how do you know what he tastes like?"

                "You're hopeless Ed." Eddy rolled his eyes. Growing impatient with the door, Eddy tried the knob to find the door open anyway. "Sockhead must be buried in another book or something, let's go fish him out."

                "Gone fishing!" Ed announced, plowing Eddy over and racing up the stairs to Edd's room. 

                Eddy slowly peeled himself off of the doorstep, shook the shoe prints out of the back of his head, and proceeded up the stairs as well.

                Ed met him at the top, a puzzled look on his face. "Double D's not here, Eddy!" he pointed into the empty bedroom.

                "Not in there?" Eddy scratched his head. "Ehh, he's in his garage then. Back downstairs monobrow!" With that, he turned on his heel and trotted back down, intending to just walk right back out the door when something moved out of the corner of his eye. Eddy looked over to recognize the tip of Edd's had sticking up from behind the back of his living room couch. Had Edd been napping the entire time? Frowning, Eddy huffed and started over. "Hey sockhead!" he started. "Wake up! How could you of all people not hear the doorbell?" But when he got close enough to peek around the couch, he saw that Edd had been awake the entire time.

                "Double D!" Ed recognized the hat as well as he reached the front door. "No use in hiding, little Dickens!" He trotted up, and had his face fall to match Eddy's when he got to his side. "Whoa…"

                Edd frowned back up at the pair, peeking out from underneath the ice pack which had been rubber-banded to his forehead. "I hope you two are happy." he growled in a whisper.

                "What happened to_ you_?" Eddy asked. "Fall down the stairs or something?" 

Despite the cover of the clothing he wore, bruises and scrapes were evident and littered around Edd's frame. He shifted slightly, wincing as he tried to push himself up further from where he was lying back against the arm of his couch. "No, Eddy." he grunted. "Kevin's bicycle shrapnel ran into me."

Ed screwed up his face. "Kevin's bike can run?"

"No Ed." Edd replied patiently. "But Kevin can."

Eddy was still frowning, folding his arms as he spoke. "You're tellin' me Kevin beat you up?"

"Isn't it obvious that someone has?" Edd asked. 

"Why'd Kevin do a thing like that Double D?" Ed asked, still confused.

Edd shot a rather poisonous glare at the both of them, moreso at Eddy because he was the only one who seemed to comprehend the situation so far. "I don't run as fast as you two."

Eddy now mirrored Ed's confused look.

Edd let out a frustrated sigh, wincing again as he moved. "You want me to spell it out? Fine. Kevin beat me up because you two caused him to wreck his bike again. I'm surprised the rest of the cul-de-sac didn't join in, for the trouble you've caused lately!"

"For us?" Eddy asked. "Yeah right. What'd ya do to him Double D, you didn't try to work some cash outta him when I wasn't around, did you?"

"Do you think I'd _lie_, Eddy?" Edd snarled, not up for his joking at all. "_Look_ at me! This is all your fault, and yours too Ed!"

Ed blinked at him. "What did I do Double D?" he asked.

Edd sighed, his friend's innocence to his own faults helping to disperse the tension. "You both upset a lot of people the other day Ed, and they blamed _me_ for it. Then I tried to help, and you two tricked me! Not only did that hurt my feelings, but it got everyone mad all over again. I suppose it was the last straw for them." he huffed. 

Eddy rolled his eyes, while Ed took a few moments to think to himself. Eventually, he sat down on the couch and gave Edd a reproachful look. "Gosh, I'm sorry Double D." he started. "I never wanted 'em to beat you up."

"Thank you Ed." Edd smiled at him. "And I'm not implying that you did."

"Better not be." Eddy butted in. "It's not like it's our fault or anything."

"Eddy, please." Edd started, turning to look at him again. "At least Ed has the good sense to apologize, why can't you do the same?"  
                "It's not our fault Double D!" Eddy frowned. "You said it yourself, you can't change us, it ain't right. Nobody said you hadda take a beating for us either."

"That wasn't exactly my choice, Eddy." Edd frowned back. "The cul-de-sac blames _me_ for being annoyed with _you_ because they know I'm the only one who'll listen, I'm the only one who cares!"

"Well you might not be the only one, but lumpy here wouldn't be able to wrap his mind around it." Eddy jabbed a finger to his taller friend, who was currently pressing every button on the remote for the inactive TV. 

"How can you be so coldhearted Eddy?" Edd asked. "Saying that you don't care what the other kids think of you?"

"I'm my own man, Double D!" Eddy smiled. "Gotta stay that way."

"So your reaction would be the same to something that _I_ thought about you?" Edd arched an eyebrow. 

"Yeah, why not?" he shrugged.

"Because I agree with the others, Eddy." Edd stated quietly. "Ed may be a little overly playful sometimes, but you push him into it. You have a blatant disregard for the feelings and welfare of others Eddy. I suppose that as long as they fall for your schemes, it's alright by you. But that's not alright by me. I think that you should be more considerate for the others Eddy, because Ed and I are part of them."

"Oh come on." Eddy threw his arms up, and turned back to Ed. "You're against me too burrhead?"

Ed stopped chewing on the remote, lost in another moment of deep thought. "Well… I dunno Eddy."  he started. "You do kinda… I dunno."

"Spit it out monobrow!" Eddy frowned at him.

"I thought you didn't care Eddy." Edd interrupted coldly, not looking at him. "You didn't care if you hurt the feelings of your best friends. You didn't care if the other kids beat _me_ up in order to try and get a message through _your_ ego-thickened head. Was I wrong?"

Eddy was silent for a moment, trying to make eye contact with Edd, but growing frustrated that he couldn't.

"Was I, Eddy?" Edd repeated.

"Shut up Double D." Eddy hissed, working hard to keep his voice under control. "You think I don't realize stuff about the other kids? Why do you think I hang out with you guys? Why do you think that I thought… I thought you were the only ones… who liked me for who I was…"

Edd's face changed as he heard Eddy slowly let his voice disintegrate, until he trailed off. He looked back over the arm of the couch to see his friend's eyes locked on the waxed wood floor. 

"That's… not what I meant Eddy…" 

"You don't have to say it  Double D." Eddy growled, not looking up. "Everyone else already has. Even Ed, even the burrhead's said it."

Ed blinked upon having his name mentioned, silent as he had watched the conversation unfold. "That's not what I said Eddy." he corrected, shaking his head. "Just 'cause you hurt my feelings sometimes… doesn't mean I'm not your friend."

"Ed's actually put it quite well, Eddy." Edd added. "I mean… I think you two accept me for who I am, and I'm sure Ed thinks that we accept him for who he is. I said it was wrong of me to try and change you, and I apologized for that."

"Well…" Eddy started. "You got a point, sockhead… Maybe I'm not always the nicest guy… but I never meant to hurt your feelings, or Ed's, or anything. I guess I do care. I mean I should, right? You're my friends."

"Yes we are, mister." Ed nodded, grinning decisively. 

"Well then, I apologize too, Double D." Eddy nodded. "I guess my being a jerk is too much for the rest of the cul-de-sac."

"It's alright Eddy…" Edd smiled back at him, straightening again and trying to hide a wince. "I never said they were completely right. After all, they beat _me_ up."

Eddy folded his arms and broke into a grin. "Well, I guess next time I'll just have to run a little slower."

The End


End file.
